Collaborative Leadership Implementation at Chesterton:

Context: 

Shared Decision-Making
Decisions are made with input from a broad group of stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, families, students, and community organizations. This fosters transparency, trust, and shared accountability.

Inclusive Leadership Teams
Chesterton has multiple teams that meet separately to refine their voice and develop agency, and they meet collectively to share information and to join in consensus decision making. Families, staff, and students form strong leadership teams. We have a growing list of partners who are ready to join the sustainability effort once the grassroot work of families, staff, and students have identified the assets and needs in their groups. These teams meet monthly to review data, set priorities, and guide the community school effort.

Distributed Leadership
Leadership is not limited to a single individual or role. Instead, it is shared frequently (e.g., principals, community school coordinators, teacher leaders, family liaisons) to reflect on the collective nature of the work and decide the best way to proceed. Shared leadership ensures that power does not rest with one individual, but it is evenly distributed for best continued efforts in the event a teacher, parent, or anyone decides to step back from the work; Chesterton will remain a strong community school and continue to thrive!  

A Focus on Equity
Collaborative leadership ensures that Chesterton progresses in a way that intentionally includes historically marginalized voices. Norms are developed in such collaborative meetings to make sure all voices and perspectives are valued and considered. No one voice should dominate the discourse, all voices should be heard. This helps to dismantle systemic barriers and create more equitable outcomes.

Purpose: Collaborative leadership builds a culture of trust, respect, and shared purpose. When all stakeholders work together, schools are better equipped to address challenges, leverage strengths, and create a nurturing environment where students are excited to learn and thrive! . 

Our Journey with Collaborative Leadership: 

• Our team currently has 6 members as of April 2026.

Upcoming Dates: 

• 5/18 SSC/SGT Meeting at 4 pm.